After presenting its preliminary budget report “For an active and healthy Quebec,” the Coalition for the Future of Sport and Physical Activity in Quebec (CASAPQ) made an urgent appeal to the government for a significant investment of $242.8 million in Sport and leisure physical activity in Quebec's 2024-2025 budget.
The goal of this advocacy group is to highlight the importance of sport and physical activity to the public health and economic well-being of the province.
Faced with an alarming sedentary lifestyle crisis, the coalition emphasizes the need for immediate government action to encourage active lifestyles from an early age. It calls for the prevention of diseases linked to inactivity to be given priority and for the prevention budget, which currently represents only 2% of the health budget, to be significantly increased.
CASAPQ also highlights the importance of professionalizing the sports environment and physical activity to ensure quality, safe and accessible support for all. “This need leads to a call for multi-year and predictable financing, essential to support sustainable growth of the sector,” specifies the coalition in a press release.
The coalition emphasizes that every dollar invested in sport and physical activity can generate up to $9.80 in economic benefits, “representing an unprecedented opportunity for the government to increase its impact on public health and the to maximize the economy.”
The coalition also insists that access to sport and physical activity should be equal for all Quebecers, regardless of where they live or their economic situation. It underlines the urgency of implementing inclusive policies that guarantee every citizen the opportunity to participate in regular physical activities that have a positive impact on their mental and physical health. (NP)